Back in May, I had gone to the Capybara cafe in Tokyo Japan. There were a couple to choose from and I chose Capyneko primarily due to the location and availability. I was on Facebook when I saw the reel and having never met or seen a capybara, I thought it was a great opportunity!
Later on, I had seen another Capybara cafe in Japan, “Cafe Capyba” and wished I had booked that one instead. The drinks looked more aesthetic and appetizing, and they had two capybaras instead of one. Ultimately, though, I was happy with my choice.
It’s Not Actually a “Cafe”
Family Friendly?
Animals
What You Do
Reservations
Do I Recommend Capyneko?
It’s Not Actually a “Cafe”
At first glance, you’d think it’s a cafe- you know, a place with baked goods or coffee, in addition to a capybara or other animals. Capyneko is less of a cafe and more of an animal sanctuary with the option to have a free drink. The drinks offered are in a small cooler and are more like Japanese vending machine style drinks. Which I didn’t have a problem with, *Japanese* vending machines are the best! But the main attraction are the animals, the secondary thing is a juice box, soda or other type of small drink.
I don’t know why this cat looks so sad haha but those are the drinks behind him/her!
Family Friendly?
This place is for the most part family friendly for children who are old enough to respect animals. The capybara is large and the place isn’t huge- think more “cozy” which means that if your child is running around, screaming or trying to chase the capybara around the room, you will likely get asked to leave.
Children under 1 come free! And children under 12 must be accompanies by a guardian.
Animals
One thing I really liked at Capyneko was that all of the animals were very well taken care of. There was even a little booklet (one in Japanese and one in English) introducing the different animals with photos in a cute scrapbook style.
Capyneko had one Capybara named Kikurage and many cats on site. If you are allergic to cats, don’t come!! The cats were all pretty calm and of all ages. They were shelter cats and you can see photos of them all on the wall here.
What You Do
When you first arrive, you can purchase different treats/food to give to the capybara, which I would say is the main thing that you do. The owner will also give you toys to play with the cats, and will take photos of you! 50 mins initially seemed like a long time to do all that, but honestly it went by pretty quickly. You have fun, and if you’re with others, you’re also talking and chatting as well. Obviously you can pet the animals and the owner is very knowledgeable about capybaras, and all the animals there, so asking her questions and learning about the animals is neat too!
Reservations
The reservations can be found on their website and they max out at a certain number of people, which means if it’s a small group, you may have a reservation with other people (when I went, there were two other Japanese ladies that also were there). Reservations are typically for 50 minutes, but as I’m looking on their website now, in August it will be reduced to 40 mins. You can reserve a reservation here.
Do I Recommend Capyneko?
I do! I thought it was a really cool experience, the owner was a truly lovely woman to talk to and very knowledgeable about everything. It was fun and how many times can you say that you pet and fed a capybara? The place didn’t smell (which considering the size and amount of animals, I was surprised about but the owner seemed to do a really good job taking care of the animals and cleaning up). I mostly appreciated how well the animals were cared for and loved but I do wish that Kikurage had a capybara friend. Although she really does get along well with some of the cats there, so I guess she’s happy!
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Address: 〒180-0003 PLATANO 2nd floor,1-5-10 Kichijoji Minamimachi, Musashino City,Tokyo
Hours: 10:00-20:00 (8pm) Daily
Cheers friends & Travelers!
~Sho, Founder of Backroad Butterflies ~
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